I do 🙋 🙄

It’s why I was so fucking excited when my friend Sarah told me about her new thang… The 12 Experiments! Instead of doing ONE New Year’s Resolution (TBH I never like doing those), you choose one experiment each month of the year!

Because, honestly, there are some things I’ve been saying I want to do FOR YEARS and I’m tired of being disappointed in myself for not even trying many of them.

I joined a climbing gym!

Some quick backstory: I went to a tiny (600 students total!) college in the valley of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and my favorite thing was our outdoors program! One year, I got my work-study job as the assistant and I got paid to help plan camping trips, to organize funding for a custom mountain bike trail AND to help with the bouldering cave that we had built. It was amazing and I felt so connected to nature and my body while I was a student.

Then I graduated college in 2011, entered the “real” world and basically forgot about bouldering and climbing, until 2016 and I started dating A and he was a climber; like a fucking AMAZING climber. And I dabbled in it but, only when I was dating A.

But I still always had the itch to do it MYSELF. Not because a man I was dating was doing it but because I actually am interested in it…

So my experiment this month of joining a climbing gym was a HUGE success! I chose Crux, here in Austin, because I like it, my friends go there, and it’s near my house.

I started with just one month (it was pricey) and I got my money’s worth by going 7-8 times. I actually lost count!

I would basically try to go 2-3 times a week. I have had my climbing shoes + harness for years so all I needed was a chalk bag.

Climbing in front of others is intimidating to a newbie like me so I went between 1pm-3:30pm when there were less people. That made it easier for me.

And y’all, I’m kind of obsessed! I typically do that- get obsessed about something and go ALL IN until I don’t want to anymore and … maybe that’s what happening but I don’t care because it’s FUN!

I’ve also gained 2 pounds of muscle so that’s a plus!

Good news- I renewed my membership for $20/month cheaper by joining my friends’ crew membership and I’ll be continuing to go.

I have dreams about climbing!

If you’re ever at Crux, come find me ;)

Are you feeling called to let go of some old habits and replace them with new ones?

I made this workbook last year (it’s still relevant though!) to help folks like you find some clarity. You can download it below if you wanna work through some patterns that might be blocking you from growing. Let me know what you think!

Take a moment as you read this sentence to breath in through your nose….

and sigh it out from your mouth…

and then think of your life, ripe with potential…

Where do you feel the potential in your life right now?

Is it a relationship? With work? With your art?

What is on your horizon that gets you excited about existing?

When you’re in a relationship, are you typically very present, or are you usually thinking about the past or the future?

Look back at your past relationships for a moment and answer these Q’s:

Are you attracted to people because of who they are in that moment?

When you start dating someone, is it because he/she COULD be good partner or because they are showing you they already are?

Do you date people that you want to help or “fix”? Do often feel like their mother or teacher or therapist?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, then keep on readin’.

I ask because I know that so many of us, especially us empaths, are very good at seeing the POTENTIAL in situations and people.

We see the potential of a future partner and we just *know* they can be their best version… one day.

We see the potential of our job and we *know* that once we do ___, we’ll be happy to go to work every day.

We see the potential in our friendships and we *know* that if we could just change a few things, it’d be perfect.

But how long should we live on hope and possibility?

In my work with women over the last 4 years, I’ve found some common threads in those of who tend to date people we hope to “fix”. Here they are, in no particular order:

We make assumptions often. (“They can’t possibly love their job or pay-rate.” “Of course they want to have a healthier diet.” “They must be hurting because of their past situation.”)

We obsess over the future and it blinds us to the present moment. (“I bet they would be a great partner if they got over their ex.” “If we move in together, it’ll make it better.” “When they open up more emotionally, we’ll get closer.”)

We think suffering is normal. (“My parents taught me to commit and stick it out.” “I’ll look like a failure if I go through yet another breakup.” “Time is running out so I’ve got to make this work.”)

But not staying present and holding out for “things to change” just tells Universe that we don’t think we’re worthy of an amazing relationship.

So, how can we be more present?

For me, the answer comes in stillness and silence. I used to be SO fucking afraid to do nothing; to just sit alone. I was afraid of what would come up. But the more that we learn there’s nothing to be afraid of, we discover a world of peace and calm and self-acceptance.

Do you want to see what it feels like, even just for a few minutes, to 100% accept the present moment?

I’ve been guiding folks in meditation since 2013 (I can’t believe it’s been 6 years 🙆‍♀️) and I’m here to show you that it’s okay. That you are precious and there’s a stillness inside of you where peace and clarity live. Click below to access it anytime.

This is the first of 12 blog posts in a series dedicated to The 12 Experiments (created by my lovely friend, Sarah). It’s a series of 12 monthly life experiments. I decided to jump on board, rather than do 1 New Year’s Resolution…

When I first founded Lunar Nourishment in 2014, I began by hosting women’s New Moon Ceremonies in my living room. I had much more to share though, than a meditation and astral insights. And so began my email list as a way to communicate my obsession with living a natural life…

When people ask me how I started my business, I tell them that the answer isn’t relevant anymore. Because when I was building Lunar Nourishment in 2014 the internet was still obsessed with beautifully curated Instagram feeds and quotes and memes of things that no one else was saying.

This past July, I very quietly graduated from a year-long coaching program with The Institute for Integrative Nutrition to be a certified health coach. I don’t talk about it much but food has been a huge part of my life. I remember making my first meal for my family (roasted lemon garlic chicken) before I was a teen. I was going through old photos the other day and found a picture of my sister and I helping our dad cook a traditional Lebanese dinner (he’s from Lebanon) when were around 8 years old…

Anyways; Fall Equinox has come, we have our Harvest Full Moon TODAY and the weather, for most of us, is starting to get cooler. Most of my audience are like me, and so I’m assuming you are Vata; this is one of the three Doshas in Ayurveda; a science to Yoga…

I woke up this morning feeling more anxious than I have in the last few weeks. I almost went through the same cycle that I usually do; canceling any immediate plans that I can, lying in bed, crying some, journaling, and then after a while deciding that I don’t want to feel that way anymore…